Puerto Rico amends laws to allow gay marriage

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Monday June 29, 2015 – Just hours after Friday’s US Supreme Court ruling to allow gay marriage, authorities in Puerto Rico rushed to approve legislation extending marriage rights to same-sex couples in the US island territory.

According to the Associated Press, Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla signed an executive order requiring government agencies to become compliant with the ruling within 15 days. As a result, the island’s Health Department and other agencies are expected to begin issuing marriage licenses by early July.

All US Supreme Court rulings apply in Puerto Rico.

Justice Secretary Cesar Miranda said he would accept and support the change, and praised the Supreme Court ruling as “a huge step in the quest for equal rights.”

It was not immediately clear whether the ruling also meant that gay couples in Puerto Rico could now adopt.

Thousands of supporters of the ruling, including those gathered outside the Capitol building in San Juan, celebrated the historic move, while religious leaders in the socially conservative island rejected it.

Monsignor Daniel Fernandez, Catholic bishop of Arecibo, said he would continue to protect the institution of marriage “as it is meant to be.”

“By nature, marriage exists and can only exist between a man and a woman,” he said.

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